Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-07-22

The next morning Mt an early hour Major
Samuel McColloch came with forty mounted
men TO the relief OF the garrison, from Short
Creek. The gates were thrown open, and all OF
the soldiers, though hUuy pressed bv the In
dans, entered In safety, except McColloch.
| The Indians managed TO separate him from his
men. He turned and galloped swiftly in the
direction of Wheeling Hill. The Indians
| knew McColoch as deadly foe TO their race,
and they particularly desired TO capture him
alive, in order that they might burn him NJ the
stake and heap other torturcs and indignities
upon him.
They pursued him quickly and feetly. At
| last he reached the top Of the hull, and turning
to the left, darted along tho ridge with tho In
| tontion OF escaping back to Short Creek. He
| had not gone five hundred yards in that dircc-
| tion before he came in contact with second
| body of Indians He had to turn and go back
over his own trail in the hope OF finding some
other place of escape. But lie had scarcely
| turned buck ere he met his original pursuers,
who had gained the top of the ridge by this
time, and third party was pressing up the
hill on his right He was now surrounded on
three sides by Indians determined TO take him
alive, and on the remaining side was n vertical
prccipicC, one hundred and fifty feet high. with
Wheeling Creek at its base. He paused for an
instant He looked down the dizzy cltlf nt his
feet. and his head swan. The distance
TO the bottom was frightful-a. person on
tho dome of the State House at Columbus
would not have a leap to reach the ground more
than twenty-five feet longer than the one that
McColloch contemplated. He saw little chance
for life before him and nothing but death by
horrible torture behind him. so he urged his
horse to the brink of the cliff and made the leap,
and he made it in safety The Indians were
bnfled and dazcd Before they recovered from
their surprise McColloch was n mile away and
they gave up the pursuit, and the same day they
raised the siege and departed from Fort Henry,
leaving the victory with its brave defenders.
My informant, Captain Clark, is nephew of
John Mclntire, the founder of GAINESVILLE. Nc
Intirc had daughter who was born in 1900.
McIntre's daughter was educated in Philudel-
phia and was engaged to an Irish Lord Mt the
time she died, in 1870. The picture of her was
taken from miniature made while she was ut
school in Philadelphia. This daughter was Nc
Intiro's only child, and at her death the dty be-
came his heir in the sense that it proiited by his
generosity
The town of Springfield, on the west bank of
the Muskingum river opposite GAINESVILLE was
laid out by DR.. Increase Mathews, General
Rufus Pullman and Levi Whipple, in 1902.
Twelve years later the name of the town was
changed to that of Putnam as mark ofrespect
to General Rufus Putnam.
DR. Increase Mathews was cultivated gen
tleman from Bnintrcc Mass, and be was joined
in the new settlement by John Mathews, an old
surveyor OF the Ohio Company, whose wide
dians are matters of common knowledge.
I John Mathews was one of the most useful
men of early times. He was familiar with the
whole of the Ohio Company's purchase and
was n very active man of affairs. He erected
grlst mills ut Moxahala, and had a fruit farm
near them. In his leisure moments he surveyed
land, and he was called upon TO lay out the
town of Coshocton.
DR.. Mathews was man who was of vast
service to the people OF the upper Nfuslingum
Valley. For u long time he was the only ply
siciun available He had, too, the faculty OF
drawing good men around him, and the town
of Springfield became known for the high char
acter of its people, Springfield had the strong,
sober traits of n New England village, and
these moral qualities were expressed in 1888
| when an emancipation society wns formed to
| hasten the abolition of slavery. Its members
| had to face ut times both abuse and scorn, but
| they had right on their side and faith to lead
| them on till success loomed before them when
John Brown, martyr and prophet of the cause,
stood on the scunold, and all that was eccentric
| in the old mans life Strengthened on the silver
chord that let him down into the bosom of the
valley.
one of the old GAINESVILLE families that are
widely known is the Buckingham family.
In 1891 Ebenezer Buckingham came rs young
man TO Ohio. He was engaged In surveying for
while with John Mathews, and was, said Mr..
Edward Mathews 10 me recently, "a man of
marked ability, who acquired knowledge with
wonderful facility"